Earlier this summer, a rumor made the rounds that Ben Affleck would co-write and direct a solo film starring himself as the Caped Crusader following his introduction in the cowl next March in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While Warner Bros. Pictures has not made any official announcements regarding standalone Batman movies -- although they seem inevitable -- Affleck has confirmed that he's interested in the project.

Asked if he would direct himself as Batman in a new interview with Total Film, Affleck replied:

"If I could make it work, yeah. Obviously that would be like a dream. The trick is, as to any movie, is to make sure that you -- if you’re going to direct it -- that you can make it good. You’ve got to have the right idea and the right take on it...Broadly speaking, it’s something I’d be open to, for sure. It’s a very exciting idea."

Producer Charles Roven, who has been involved with the Dark Knight films, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, said that the possibility of Affleck helming a Batman movie is all down to scheduling:

"He’s about to start a movie now, and he’s also got obligations to be in the Justice League movies. The calendar is a little bit tricky. Of course, the script obviously has to be worthy of him wanting to direct it. And once that happens, it’s still got to fit into the calendar. We’re hoping we can make it happen. We’re just at the beginning of the question."

Affleck is about to start work on Live By Night, which he is directing for a 2017 release, and then it seems all but certain he'll put the cape back on for the two Justice League movies (assuming that Batman v Superman doesn't tank and bring the DC Cinematic Universe to a screeching halt, which doesn't seem likely). Where a new Batman solo film fits into that equation remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Total Film has also revealed that the scene glimpsed in the Batman v Superman trailer of Affleck as Bruce Wayne standing quite angrily amid the ruins of a Wayne Enterprises building in Metropolis -- wrecked by the battle between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon) in Man of Steel -- is going to serve as the opening sequence in the upcoming superhero clash. Here's Cavill:

“What happens there is one of Bruce’s buildings gets destroyed and he’s trying to save all the people inside the building and he can’t. So he is this angry person who fears what Superman may do. Why are they just going to trust this super-powered alien? What if he does decide to turn against us?"

Affleck adds:

"He’s found himself in a place of harboring a tremendous amount of rage for Superman. So it’s how he got there, and what that’s done to him, and what that’s done to people around him like Alfred, who are, I think, very scared and worried for him. It’s something that’s interesting and new."

It's also the key reason why -- as rumored for a long time -- Wayne gets back into his Batgear: because he sees Superman at first as a threat to humanity.

It might be worth tracking down a copy of Total Film for more of this coverage, but in the meantime, would you like to see Ben Affleck direct a Batman film? And what do you think of that opening for Batman v Superman and its effect on Bruce Wayne?